Entry No. 58 — the Durango file — filed under: hands-on
Frontera Jewelry (Chayse Romero Silversmithing)
Metalsmith Chayse Romero runs Intro and Intermediate Silversmithing classes out of Frontera Jewelry, teaching you to make custom silver jewelry in Southwest Colorado. The studio recently relocated within Durango. Hands-on instruction covers the fundamentals of working and finishing silver into a piece you can wear.
The story
Chayse Romero picked up a blowtorch and a jeweler's saw while attending college in Durango, turning raw sheet silver and locally sourced stones into bold unisex bolo ties, stacked rings, and custom bands. What started as a personal deep-dive into Southwest Colorado metalsmithing grew into Frontera Jewelry, where traditional silvercraft gets stripped of boutique pretension.
Rather than keeping her techniques hidden behind a velvet display case, Romero runs Intro and Intermediate Silversmithing sessions out of her Durango working studio. She walks you straight through the messy, precise mechanics of metalwork—taking raw silver through sawing, soldering with a open flame, filing, and final polish until you walk out wearing something you forged yourself.
What it's like
Expect a proper working shop environment complete with torch flare, metal dust, and jeweler's benches. You will be handling real tools from minute one—learning to cut metal without snapping delicate saw blades and using heat to flow solder into clean joints. Because the studio recently relocated within Durango, call 970-422-8504 or book online ahead of time to get the exact street address and confirm your session.
The move: Sign up for the Intro to Silversmithing session and design and fabricate your own custom silver pieces side by side.
📍 Before you go Studio recently moved; class scheduling is by session, so contact ahead (970-422-8504) to confirm dates and the new address.
- 📍 Durango
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Durango, CO
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- The Subterrain — Follow up an afternoon of torching silver by grabbing a drink inside Durango's hand-painted, immersive artist basement just down the road.
- Sun Sapphires — Pivot from shaping raw silver to working with stained and fused glass at this nearby Main Avenue shop.
- Pots & Pints at Durango Arts Center — Swap the jeweler's saw for clay and a cold drink to build a full day of hands-on local workshop crawling.
Good to know
What classes are offered at Frontera Jewelry?
Romero teaches Intro and Intermediate Silversmithing sessions, along with targeted single-piece workshops like stacked ring building.
Do I need any prior metalsmithing experience to join?
No. The intro workshops are built for absolute beginners and cover fundamental tool safety, soldering, shaping, and finishing.
How do I find the new studio location?
Frontera recently moved locations inside Durango. Class scheduling is done by session, so you should contact the studio at 970-422-8504 or book via their website to get the updated address.
What kind of custom work does Frontera make?
Outside of teaching, Romero crafts mountain-inspired pieces, wedding bands, and bold unisex bolo ties set with local Colorado stones.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · downtowndurango.org · durango.org · denvergazette.com
last checked: 2026-06-23